by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story For the first time since the 1800s, nearly 1,000 miles of habitat along the Penobscot River are accessible to Atlantic salmon and 10 other fish species that spend part of their lives at sea but return to fresh water for spawning. The final step making that possible — a Read More
Atlantic salmon
Why the Penobscot River’s Revitalization is Just Beginning
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial Last week, the last piece of a years-long project to return much of the Penobscot River to a free-flowing waterway was completed with the opening of a bypass around the Howland Dam. The Penobscot River is Maine’s largest watershed. For more than a century, however, the Read More
Hundreds Celebrate Completion of Penobscot Restoration Project
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Pat Keliher still remembers an early morning phone call during which a professional colleague outlined a bold idea that could help transform the Penobscot River. “[Andy Goode of the Atlantic Salmon Federation] said, ‘Hey. We want to take two dams off the Read More
Penobscot River Restoration Project Celebrates Final Milestone, Reconnects River to the Sea
Howland fish bypass completes collaborative effort to rebalance fisheries and hydropower on Maine’s largest river News release Howland, ME – Today, federal, state, local, and tribal representatives, and project partners gathered in Howland, Maine, to mark and celebrate the completion of the last major milestone in the Penobscot River Restoration Project: the newly constructed fish Read More
Gulf of Maine’s Cold-craving Marine Species Forced to Retreat to Deeper Waters
by Colin Woodard, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story For 178 years, dams stood across the Penobscot River here, obstructing salmon and other river-run fish from reaching the watershed’s vast spawning grounds, which extend all the way to the Quebec border. Now, two years after the dam’s removal, the salmon’s proponents fear the fish Read More
Two Years After Dams’ Removal, Penobscot River Flourishes
Alewives, shad and even whitewater paddlers have returned as the largest river restoration endeavor in U.S. history starts to yield results. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story VEAZIE — For nearly four decades, Barbara Wilson could watch from her deck as the waters of the Penobscot River cascaded over the 30-foot Read More
Whitewater Regatta Focuses Spotlight on Penobscot River Restoration
By Jay Field MPBN news story OLD TOWN, Maine – Whitewater canoeists and kayakers from across the country are in Maine for a competition event that wouldn’t have been possible just three years ago. The Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta got underway in Old Town Thursday, with races scheduled to take place through Sunday afternoon. Read More
Politics, Preservation, and Salmon Fishing
An annual rite of the Penobscot River sporting world brought a Maine angler and the year’s first Atlantic salmon to the president’s doorstep. By Catherine Schmitt Boston Globe news story ON MAY 25, 1992, Claude and Rosemae Westfall drove their Buick south on Maine’s I-95. Claude was dressed sharply if atypically in a green suit Read More
Howland Fish Bypass Construction to Start Next Month
by Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Construction of the $3.5 million fish bypass at the former Howland tannery site is likely to begin next month, ending 11 years of preparation, officials said Friday. Construction crews already demolished the former powerhouse attached to the Howland Dam on the Read More